Imagine playing 60 minutes of a violent and physical sport and delivering the play that seals the victory for your team only to step off the field to criticisms of the play.
That’s apparently what happened to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick last week when he intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota late in the fourth quarter to put an end to a potential game-tying/winning drive.
Rather than trying to force his way into the end zone for an unnecessary touchdown, Fitzpatrick simply ran out of bounds. That allowed his offense to kneel out the clock on the next play, but it also apparently got a harsh response from folks in the fantasy and betting communities, something head coach Mike Tomlin called “unfortunate.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick picks off Marcus Mariota to end the game.
Will we see Desmond Ridder this season or nah?pic.twitter.com/ZeVxvyxfEs
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 4, 2022
“It is ridiculous that we’re talking about something other than winning — whether or not you had the Steelers defense and the fantasy points that you lost. Or the gambling aspects of overs and unders,” Tomlin said on the Week 14 episode of The Mike Tomlin Show. “I just, on a personal note, I’m saddened often by the distractions that can become part of viewing and enjoying men competing at the highest level of the game that we all love by fantasy teams and over and under lines. It’s unfortunate at times, really.”
There was likely no shortage of Pittsburgh fans thankful for Fitzpatrick’s big play and the win. But the cries of people who desperately needed the defensive score for fantasy or betting purposes was louder than Tomlin would have liked.
“That guy displayed great situational awareness and playmaking and selflessness in that play, and he should be championed for that as opposed to questioned in some of the ways that I hear him being questioned unfortunately,” Tomlin said.
